An "Insider" Look at Survivor: Guatemala, Episode 8: Majority Rules

Now’s about the time where I get bored with this show, but not this season. Why? I think there’s a number of factors.

First off, we’re not getting the normal Pagonging. Sure, there’s a 6-3 tribal imbalance, but note that it’s based on the tribe dynamic AFTER the switch. Has that ever happened before? Every time in the past, we’ve hoped that someone (Julie in Vanuatu, for example) would stick with their new tribe and they never do. Maybe The Amazon, but honestly, the voting toward the end was so freakin’ screwy that I gave up keeping track.

I find it interesting that no one is really talking about Gary’s position. Wasn’t he in an original alliance with Stephenie, Rafe, and Lydia? What about that? Does he rank higher than, say, Cindy? You’re at a point where you’re supposed to target the weak, and there’s no talk about booting him – although the previews for next week suggest that time may be forthcoming.

Mark Burnett probably knows that these are the dregs of the season, so, bless him, he did something about it. He brought in the mini-immunity idol. It’s a brilliant concept, because the challenge is in not only finding it, but knowing when to use it. I’ve got my own theory about the idol, though, as you’ll see below.

Finally, even if we DID have a Pagonging, there’d still be a lot of interesting stories, thanks primarily to the people. Judd and Jamie are acting like idiots. Stephenie and Bobby Jon have a second chance, can they make the most of it? Will Gary’s secret hold? Will Cindy… um, will Lydia dance some more? I keep saying it and saying it, drama in reality TV occurs when different people are brought together and stirred up. No amount of prefabricated twists will ever replace that.

Brandon’s Final Words: What can he say, he got voted out. He’s not full of regret, he played the game and thinks he played a pretty good game. Maybe a little disappointed that he didn’t make it further. He wanted to get his brother out to visit, and he wanted to get on the jury. He made it more than halfway, played a more than respectful game, it feels pretty good.

He wasn’t going to ask for pity or beg for mercy in the end – you can take him out of the game before you take his pride. If you can leave the game fulfilled – it’s such a great experience. You feel like crap now, but it’s just awesome to be out there. He made it three weeks. It may not be as good as 39 days, but it’s fulfilling. He’s not always been all about the money, he just wanted to get down and play the game for himself, he feels comfortable with it. It’s solid, it feels good. He felt he kept his class and dignity. Everyone he associated with were pretty good, stand up people, but they did some things he wasn’t willing to do (like voting out Blake, perhaps). He took a harder path, maybe a better path to win.

He learned that people will do a lot for a million. It’s a very tempting thing. Maybe some things that he wasn’t willing to do. He knew he wasn’t willing to do them coming in, he was hoping to win the challenges and push through. Well, the problem is that you were TOO good at challenges. That and the minority thing killed you. It may not have been the best strategy for other people, but it was the best for him. If he had to play over again maybe he’d make a few changes, but he’d play the same for the most part. He respects everyone out there, for the most part.

Brandon, the Day After: He’s feeling pretty good, still reflecting on things. Maybe a little disappointment, but for the most part he’s feeling good. He feels good, he played the game he wanted to play, solid and moral. It was his main goal, actually. Even though he’s not walking away with a million, he feels it’s more important. I can always respect that. Don’t AGREE, but I can respect that.

You put all your eggs in one basket, strategically, but then you get those twists and turns, and then you get those challenges that you don’t win. He didn’t expect it to be this complicated, not “that much thinking” involved. I’d make fun of that, but I know he didn’t mean it that way so I’ll let it go. He was one of the strongest ones early and that was to his advantage. And he knew once it became individual, he’d have a huge target on his back, but he was hoping his alliances would protect him. In the end, it’s a game of numbers. It’s kind of a compliment. Yes, it is.

The total Survivor experience {pause} was like nothing he’s ever experienced. At first, it was the whole starving thing, the whole physical aspect was really tough, but after a couple weeks he got used to it. Then it got into the whole mind games thing, and he realized that was what Survivor is all about. As a whole, it was “one big blurry ass-whoopin’.” That’s excellent.